Winding apparatus for yarn and other filaments



Feb. 8, 1966 D. A. E. MATTINGLY 3,233,303

WINDING APPARATUS FQR YARN AND OTHER FILAMENTS Filed May 8, 1964 United States Patent Ofiice Patented Feb. 8, 1966 3,233,303 WINDING APPARATUS FOR YARN AND OTHER FILAMENTS Denis Albert Edward Mattingly, London, England, as-

signor to The Klinger Manufacturing Company Limited, London, England Filed May 8, 1964, Ser. No. 366,065 Claims priority, application Great Britain, May 10, 1963, 18,711/ 63 11 Claims. (Cl. 28-1) This invention relates to winding apparatus for yarn which is crimped by continuously subjecting it to compression along its length in a confined space so that it assumes a zig zag formation in a plug from the leading end of which the yarn is drawn off by the winding apparatus and heating the yarn before, during and after compression or any combination of such heating. In such an arrangement if the rate of formation of the plug varies in relation with the rate of winding, the end of the plug from which the yarn is drawn will move relatively to the winding apparatus and an object of this invention is to restrict the extent of movement.

According to this invention a winding apparatus for crimped yarn produced in the manner described above is characterized in that said movement of the head of the plug is arranged to condition means for applying restraint to the travel of the yarn from the plug to the winding apparatus so that as the head moves from a datum position towards the winding apparatus the restraint to the travel of the yarn is reduced or removed, whereas as the head recedes from the winding apparatus and from said datum position the restraint to the travel of the yarn is established or increased whereby the head tends to remain at a desired datum position.

The means for applying varying restraint to the yarn may comprise a friction surface or surfaces so arranged that with movement of the head in one direction from a datum position the yarn is brought into more intimate contact with said surface or surfaces and with movement in the other direction from the datum position the yarn is withdrawn from said surface or surfaces.

The yarn after being drawn off the head of the plug may pass through or over fixed guide means and then on to the winding apparatus so that should the position of the head of the plug vary, the stretch of the yarn between the head and the guide will move its position and said friction surface is disposed in the path of movement of said stretch of yarn so that the yarn is subjected to increasing restraint as the head of said plug recedes from the guide.

The invention is applicable to winding apparatus of the kind in which the wind-up bobbin is rotated at a constant speed and the yarn passes on to it first through a fixed guide disposed on or close to the axis of rotation and then through an eye or the like which can move around a guide encircling the bobbin and which is reciprocated along the bobbin so as to lay the yarn on the bobbin. With such an arrangement with increase of the tension in the yarn the eye will tend to rotate faster around the axis of the bobbin and thus the rate of winding is reduced whereas at low tension the eye will move around the bobbin more slowly thus increasing the rate of the winding.

In applying the invention to this type of winding apparatus the means for applying frictional restraint to the yarn, when the head of the plug recedes from a datum position away from the winding mechanism, comprises a fixed V or wedge shaped notch so disposed in relation to the crimping apparatus that as the head of the plug recedes from said datum position the yarn is drawn into the narrow end of the notch which arrests or reduces the travel of the yarn resulting in tension being im' parted to the stretch of yarn between the V notch or wedge shaped notch and the eye whereby the latter rotates around the bobbin faster thus reducing the rate of the wind until such time as the head of the plug moves towards the datum position bringing the yarn out of the narrow end of the V notch when said tension in the yarns is reduced and is carried out at an increased rate.

The invention is also applicable to the kind of winding apparatus in which the rate of rotation of the wind-up bobbin is decreased with increase of diameter of the package of the yarn as winding proceeds so that peripheral speed of the yarn package is substantially constant.

In applying the invention to this type of winding apparatus the means for applying the varying frictional restraint to yarn may comprise two friction members pivoted together at one end and to a fixed support and so as to extend in the direction of travel of the head of the yarn and spring means urging the members together so that the pressure on the yarn by said members increases as the head of the plug recedes from the winding apparatus and from the datum position as the gripped portion of the yarn moves towards the pivoted ends, otherwise this mechanism operates in a similar manner to that described above.

This invention is particularly applicable to the crimping apparatus illustrated in the specification of United States patent application Serial No. 240,551 where a plug of crimped yarn is moved into a space between the periphery of a driven toothed rotatable member and the bottom of an arcuate groove in an arcuate member which partly encircles the rotatable member, the yarn being withdrawn from the head of the aforesaid plug which is conveyed on the periphery of the rotatable member. In such an arrangement the member embodying the said V or wedge shaped notch or the two pivoted spring pressed friction members may be mounted on the arcuate member over a slot therein so that the yarn withdrawn from the head of the plug passes firstly through the slot and then through the V notch or between the spring pressed pivoted members and then through a fixed guide on its way to the winding apparatus.

The following is a more detailed description of two alternative for-ms of devices for automatically maintaining the head of the aforesaid plug of yarn substantially in a datum position, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of one arrangement;

FIGURE 2 is a similar diagrammatic perspective view of a second arrangement; and

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the yarn restraining device shown in FIGURE 2.

In the arrangement shown in FIGURE 1 there is employed a known form of Winding apparatus comprising a bobbin driven at a constant speed around which is disposed a circular guide ring 11. The guide ring is movable backwards and forwards in the direction of the axis of the bobbin. A guide eye 12 for the yarn may travel around the guide ring 11.

The yarn 13 passes around guides 14, 14a and through an 'eye 15 which is disposed on the axis of rotation of the bobbin. Normally when the tension in the yarn is small the guide eye 12 rotates at a comparatively slow rate around the guide ring 11, and yarn is wound comparatively quickly on the bobbin but should the tension of the yarn increase the guide eye 12 moves around the guidering at a faster rate and the, winding of the yarn on the bobbin only takes place at a slow rate.

The mechanism so far described is Well known.

The apparatus for crimping the yarn is similar to that illustrated in the specification of United States patent application No. 240,551 in which yarn to be crimped is fed into a crimping chamber which communicates with a confined passage between the periphery of a toothed wheel 16 and the bottom 'of a groove in an arcuate setting member 17 which partly encircles the wheel. A plug 9 of zig zag yarn is thus built up in the crimping chamber and conveyed through said passage by the periphery of the wheel, the teeth of which engage the plug for this purpose.

The yarn is drawn off the head of the plug through a slot 18 in the member 17 and then passes around the aforesaid guide 14.

The rate of feed of the yarn into the crimping apparatus and rate of rotation of the toothed wheel are so chosen in relation to the rate of Winding of the yarn that the end of the plug from which the yarn is Withdrawn should remain stationary but due to various factors it tends to move backwards and forwards on either side of a datum position.

Fixed to the member 17, which may be heated, over the slot 18 by means of a bracket 19 is element 20 which may frictionally restrain the travel of the yarn towards the winding apparatus which element comprises a blade which is bent into V-formation.

When the head of the plug moves to the left of a datum position the stretch of yarn between the head and the guide 14 moves into the smaller end of the V-shaped gap and is restrained, thus increasing the tension in the yarn which will result in its being wound on the bobbin at a slower rate and thus the head of the yarn moves back to the datum position. Should it then move to the right of the datum position the yarn is subjected to no restraint and it is wound faster on to the bobbin and the head of the plug moves back towards the datum position.

In the arrangement shown in FIGURE 2 the yarn is wound on to a bobbin 22 which is rotated in known manner by a friction roller which engages the surfaces of the package on the bobbin and thus the circumferential speed of the bobbin is constant.

The yarn 23 passes on to the bobbin through guides 32, 32a. The crimping apparatus is similar to that described with reference to FIGURE 1, but the yarn restraining device is somewhat different. It comprises two blades 24, 25 which are pivoted together at 26 at one end and are splayed apart at 27, 28 at the other end.

The blades are pressed together by a compression spring 38 near their pivoted ends. The spring at one end abuts a head 29 formed on a pin 30 which passes through holes in the blades and is provided with a portion 31 which abuts the blade 25. The other end of the spring 33 abuts the blade 24.

As in the previous arrangement if the thread is drawn off the head of the plug at such a rate that the head moves to the left of a datum position, the yarn moves towards the, pivoted end of the two blades and is subjected to a greater frictional grip between the blades 24, 25 and thus the rate of withdrawal of the yarn from the head is reduced and the head moves back towards the datum position; in the meantime, the crimped yarn being fed towards the bobbin is slightly stretched. On the other hand if the head of the plug moves to the right of a datum position the yarn moves to the right between the two blades and is subjected to a lesser extent of frictional grip and is thus drawn off the head of the yarn at a greater rate and the yarn moves back towards the datum position.

I claim:

1. In apparatus including means for forming a plug of crirnped yarn, means for moving the plug, and means for withdrawing crimped yarn from the plug, the head of the plug being movable in a path advancing beyond and receding from a datum position, the improvement comprising means for engaging the yarn along its path of travel from the plug to the withdrawing means and for varying the rate of withdrawal of the crimped yarn, said engaging means being disposed externally of the path of said plug head.

2. In apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said means for engaging the yarn comprises a tapered restriction, said restriction imparting tension to said yarn.

3. In apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said yarn engaging means includes means for frictionally engaging the yarn and for increasing the frictional engagement with the yarn as the head of the plug recedes from said datum position.

4. In apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said withdrawing means includes a wind-up bobbin and wherein said yarn engaging means comprises two friction members pivoted together at one end and to a fixed support, said members extending substantially in the direction of travel of the head of the plug and constituting means for receiving the yarn therebetween, spring means for urging the members together with increasing pressure toward the pivoted end, the pivoted end of said members being disposed to receive the yarn from the plug as the head of the plug recedes from the datum position.

5. In apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said means for engaging said yarn comprises two friction members pivoted together at one end and to a fixed support, said members extending substantially in the direction of travel of the head of the plug and constituting means for receiving the yarn therebetween, spring means for urging the members together with increasing pressure toward the pivoted end, the pivoted end of said members being disposed to receive the yarn from the plug as the head of the plug recedes from said datum position.

6. In apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said means for engaging the yarn comprises a member having a pair of arms extending substantially in the direction of travel of the head of the plug, said arms forming an open flared entrance therebetween at one end thereof positioned to receive the yarn as the head of the plug recedes from said datum position.

'7. In apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the yarn is drawn off the head of the plug in a direction transverse to the direction of travel of the head and there is provided fixed guide means through which the yarn travels as it is drawn off the head, whereby the position of the stretch of yarn between the head and the guide means varies as the head moves, and said engaging means extends transversely to the path of travel of the stretch of yarn between the head of the plug and said fixed guide means and is disposed within the path of travel of said stretch of yarn when the head recedes from said datum position.

8. In apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said withdrawing means includes a Wind-up bobbin and wherein means are provided for rotating the wind-up bobbin at constant speed and wherein there is also provided a fixed guide through which the yarn passes to the wind-up bobbin, said fixed guide being substantially disposed on the axis of rotation of said bobbin, and an eye or the like is provided through which the yarn passes, said eye being movable around a guide encircling the bobbin and which encircling guide is reciprocable along the bobbin for laying the yarn thereon.

9. In apparatus according to claim 8 wherein said means for engaging the yarn comprises a member forming a tapered restriction, said restriction imparting tension to the stretch yarn between said restriction and said eye to thereby increase the speed of rotation of said eye around the bobbin and to reduce the rate of the wind of the yarn on the takeup bobbin.

1!). In an apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said means for moving the plug comprises a driven toothed rotatable member cooperating with an arcuate member partly encircling said rotatable member, a groove formed in said arcuate member and a slot formed in said arcuate member adjacent said groove, the yarn passing through said slot on leaving the plug, said yarn engaging means being positioned outwardly of said groove.

11. In an apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said yarn engaging means is mounted upon said arcuate member adjacent said slot.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,174,206 3/1965 Mattingly et al 28-1 STANLEY N. GILREATH, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN APPARATUS INCLUDING MEANS FOR FORMING A PLUG OF CRIMPED YARN, MEANS FOR MOVING THE PLUG, AND MEANS FOR WITHDRAWING CRIMPED YARN FROM THE PLUG, THE HEAD OF THE PLUG BEING MOVABLE IN A PATH ADVANCING BEYOND AND RECEDING FROM A DATUM POSITION, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING MEANS FOR ENGAGING THE YARN ALONG ITS PATH OF TRAVEL FROM THE PLUG TO THE WITHDRAWING MEANS AND FOR VARYING THE RATE OF WITHDRAWAL OF THE CRIMPED YARN, SAID ENGAGING MEANS BEING DISPOSED EXTERNALLY OF THE PATH OF SAID PLUG HEAD. 